Quiet Quitting: A Trend or an Ignored Reality?

What is Quiet Quitting, and why are employees doing it

Social Media and Quiet Quitting

Most recently, quiet quitting has been given a label and has become more dominant. Quiet quitting has dominated social media, primarily on Tik Tok. Millennials and generation z have been actively posting videos on the topic, and several of them have become viral, which has triggered a lot of commotion.

Economic Impact

There is currently a tight labor market. Employees may feel like it’s easy to obtain alternative employment; therefore they have the power to renegotiate the terms of their employment contract.

Impact on Employers

Other states, including New York, Colorado, and Washington, have moved towards requiring employers to disclose the pay scale within their job listings. California is now setting a groundbreaking precedent by adding an additional layer of transparency. California is the first jurisdiction to require employers to distribute payroll data based on the demographics of the organization.  This new requirement intends to address pay equity and ensure no pay disparities.

Steps Employers Can Take to Combat Quiet Quitting

Employees are redefining work, and companies can begin to understand and reassess their current workplace practices or continue to see more turnover and decreased productivity. Quiet quitters have left employers no option but to take what employees say more seriously and assess why they are resigning or quietly quitting their jobs.

Address Employee Burnout

Employees who feel overworked or not valued can become burned out, leading them to quit or leave the workplace quietly. 

Creating a reasonable amount of work for them to complete is key to setting them up for success so that they are set up for success. Review their performance and productivity levels regularly, and if they start to slip, ask how you can help.

Offering paid time off and creating a culture to encourage employees to take it is another way to reduce burnout.  This will allow your employees time to recharge and come back more productive than ever.   

Bring Back Personnel Connections

Your employees naturally want to feel connected, and a lack of connection can affect your employee’s well-being, productivity, and retention.

Establish a pattern of touching base with employees at least regularly and ask how they are doing and how you can help.

Initiate Team Building Activities

Team building activities can be fun and encourage open communication, build stronger relationships, and build trust.

Don’t know where to start? Host a brainstorming session, encourage employees to participate in a fitness challenge, or host a virtual happy hour. 

Show appreciation

Every employee wants to feel appreciated for their hard work. In addition, appreciation can generate confidence and enthusiasm for the work they do.  Show appreciation for the great work that your employees have done.  It could be something as simple as verbally expressing gratitude or you can take a step further and delegate an award such as extra time off.

Increase Flexibility

Flexible is in high demand.  Providing flexible work could lead your staff to have higher job satisfaction and productivity which in turn could benefit your organization.

There are many forms of flexible work including telework, job sharing, condensed schedule, and part-time employment.

Several employers worry that their staff will underperform with a flexible schedule. To ensure that your staff is meeting expectations, set deadlines and regularly check in with them.